Arothron immaculatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Immaculate puffer
Immaculate pufferfish,  Mosi,  Botite,  Botiti,  Butete,  Langigidon,  Tamburauan,  Tikong,  Tungkan
photo by Field, R.

Family:  Tetraodontidae (Puffers), subfamily: Tetraodontinae
Max. size:  37.5 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 775.0 g
Environment:  reef-associated; brackish; marine; depth range 3 - 30 m
Distribution:  Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa (including the south coast of South Africa, Ref. 4919) to Indonesia, north to southern Japan.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-11; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 9-17. Body covered with prickles (Ref. 559). Dark bars on side of head and below pectoral fins; juvenile specimens from the Pacific with longitudinal dark stripes on belly (Ref. 4919). Description: Characterized further by pale grey to brown body color, grading to white on ventral surface; pectoral fin base surrounded by large yellowish-brown to nearly black spot; black-edged yellow tail; sometimes with mottled pattern; short and obtuse snout, 2.2-2.4 in head length; bony interorbital width 2.6-3.1 in head length; rounded caudal fin, length about 2.6-3.6 in SL (Ref. 90102).
Biology:  Inhabits weedy areas, often in estuaries; seagrass beds (Ref. 41878) and mangrove areas in 1-1.5 m. Solitary (Ref. 90102). Specimens caught by trawling over silty bottoms in 17 m. (Ref. 9137).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 10 June 2011 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  poisonous to eat
Country info:  Known from Sibuyan, Romblon (Ref. 58652). Specimens were collected from Kiga creek and San Jose, Dulag, Leyte in 1993 (Ref. 7223). Found in fish markets (Ref. 393) despite the fact that this species is very poisonous (Ref. 12745). Also Ref. 5170.


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